What is mensural notation?

Mensural notation is a form of musical notation used in Western music during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, roughly spanning from the 14th to the 16th centuries. It was developed to indicate rhythmic and durational values of notes in a more precise manner than earlier notation systems.

Mensural notation is characterized by the use of different note shapes to represent different durations, as well as symbols such as ligatures and coloration to indicate specific rhythmic patterns and tempo changes. It also introduced concepts such as time signatures, meters, and the division of the beat into smaller units.

One of the key innovations of mensural notation was the introduction of the idea of proportional rhythm, where note values could be divided into smaller fractions and combined in various ways to create complex rhythmic patterns. This allowed composers to create more intricate and sophisticated musical compositions.

While mensural notation eventually gave way to the more familiar modern notation system in the Baroque period, it remains an important historical precursor that greatly influenced the development of Western musical notation. Today, scholars and performers of early music often study and perform music written in mensural notation to understand and recreate the musical practices of the past.